Equipment

A few thoughts on counterbalancing

Published

2 months ago

Mar 31, 2026

Thousands of photos have been posted to the Lead Tape Chronicles page over the last decade. Those clubs, of course, feature lead tape, which increases swing weight so the player can better feel the club head when making crisp contact. That said, there’s another end of the spectrum when it comes to weighting a club: counterbalancing. Counterbalancing has been around just as long, though it’s not as well known, but it is equally important.

Looking through the archives, a club played by Justin Rose caught my eye in a photo from August 2024. At the top end of the shaft, at the end of the grip, there are four rolls of lead tape. These are about 1/2” wide and, judging by the diameter of most graphite shafts, about an inch in length. Typically, lead tape that is 1/2” wide and an inch long is worth two swing weight points. The GT3 driver head is 195.2 grams at stock weight, and with optional weighting, that can change. From afar, this setup would likely have a swing weight of D0-D1.

When counterweighting is in the equation, the traditional feel of more weight in the club head shifts to the butt end of the club. This allows the player to have a smoother transition from backswing to downswing. The club head may feel lighter, but the weight is more in the player’s hands. Ultimately, it comes down to player preference, as all feel is subjective with the golf club. However, this isn’t commonly seen in clubs designed for a full swing. In putters, on the other hand, counterbalancing is fairly common, especially as longer putters and grips—over 35” in length—have become more popular. That’s one way to counterbalance without adding lead tape.

Through the course of history, we’ve seen counterbalancing as a part of bag setups. Jack Nicklaus played a counterbalanced driver and woods throughout his career. His club maker, Jack Wullkotte, discovered this in the early 1960s while working on Nicklaus’ MacGregor driver. He noticed the driver was traditionally swing weighted to D6, but Jack’s was at D2. Upon further inspection, Wullkotte found that the butt end of the club had a wooden dowel inserted, drilled out, and filled with hot lead to create the counterweight.

Since counterbalancing is all about personal feel and preference, it’s rarely offered as a stock option for clubs. But there are solutions for built-in counterbalancing if you don’t want to apply lead tape each time. Shaft manufacturers now offer counterbalance shaft options as part of their lineups. For example, Justin Rose went on to play a Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange shaft, which features counterbalancing technology. Other major shaft manufacturers also offer counterbalance options.

When is it time to try counterbalanced clubs? It’s worth considering if you have trouble with your transition from backswing to downswing, or if you’re simply looking for a new feel in your hands. Most commonly, we see putters as the starting point for counterbalancing. Companies like TourLock provide weighting systems that offer various options. Traditionally, you’d find weights from 10 to 20 grams in woods, while putter weights can start at 20 grams and go all the way up to 100 grams.

We’ve also seen more 17” putter grips on tour and as stock options. That’s a counterbalance solution without custom weighting. The SuperStroke 1.0 17” grip weighs 142 grams, while the Garsen Quad Tour 17 weighs 120 grams. These are common on Tour for putters at the standard 35” length or up to 38”.

In a game of personal preference, counterbalancing provides another option to help you find the right fit for your game. For all the lead tape used to create swing weight in the club head, the opposite approach—counterweighting—is right there to consider as well.

Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.

Joel Thelen

Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.

First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.

Mitchell Meissner

Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.

Whats in the Bag

Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX

Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

See more in-hand photos of Bud Cauley’s clubs here.

Equipment

Name every set of irons you’ve owned – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.

@Lamosteve began:

Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine

Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”

Entire Thread: “Name every set of irons you’ve owned.”